Weight Watchers vs low-cal diet? which works best?

Options
2»

Replies

  • hummzz
    hummzz Posts: 384 Member
    Options
    I've always wondered about those pre-packaged food diets. I would think that learning to eat a low cal diet would be more effective in the long run because you have learned to eat healthy and can maintain the weight loss. So in the long run....Low Cal diet.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    Options
    I can see the responses to this being very biased.
  • redkitty615
    redkitty615 Posts: 24 Member
    Options
    I did very well on WW back in 1996 when it was based on how many proteins, fats, breads, fruits and veggies. A lot less complicated, and I felt that I was eating better than when it was point based. I also prefer MFP because it is more economical!
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Options
    Both food plans work well if you pay attention to portion control. I lost a lot of weight on weight watchers many years ago, but I prefer the calorie counting on MFP these days. I don't want to figure out the point system for weight watchers.

    My sister in law is on weight watchers and it's a part of her life, but I am doing just fine on MFP.
  • sylvuz323
    sylvuz323 Posts: 468 Member
    Options
    Ok, peeps just because Weight Watchers has pre-packaged foods it doesn't mean that they force you to eat their foods. They are all about eating right and if you were to convert the points to calories it would be considered low calories. They just don't hold you to the same amount every single day, you have some "wiggle room". In other words you can go above your recommended calories for the day without sabotaging your goals. Both methods can work but its really about what will work best for you!
  • cassiegal724
    cassiegal724 Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    Some people do really well with the in-person support of weekly weight watchers meetings.

    If you're doing Weight Watchers online, there are few differences between MFP and WW, except MFP is free. Again, though, some people do very well with the "free" fruits and veggies on WW as well as the way activity points are spread out over the week instead of here on MFP, where "exercise" cals are added to your daily allowance.

    Personally, I like free. I also like not having to convert my food into arbitrary and proprietary "points" that are subject to change whenever WW decides to change its program.

    For me, MFP is something I can work with long-term, well into maintenance. It's taught me portions and healthy eating habits, and forced me to examine what's in my food beyond just the calories.

    I agree with this. I lost 60 lbs on ww online. I got annoyed with having to calculate points and free is working for me now! I also think that there is much more support on MFP than I ever got with ww online. I know that would have been different if I went to meetings, but I'm not willing to pay $40/month. I learned a lot there and I'm learning a lot here. I def prefer MFP. Good luck with your decision!
  • jozzler
    jozzler Posts: 37
    Options
    I lost 77 lbs with WW, and am a gold member, but now my hours at work have changed i can no longer attend, so decided to sign up on here and keep a food diary. The calories that i am on actually work out to be around the same number of points that i was allowed on a daily basis at WW!! So to me, it's the same. The only difference is that i actually liked to stand on the WW scales and not mine at home, as i figured there's would be more accurate. But i can track and log my food online for free on here, and it's acessible for my needs. Win win all round :wink:
  • NCTravellingGirl
    NCTravellingGirl Posts: 717 Member
    Options
    I initially used a WW at work program where my company paid half and WW came to my work, so it was convenient. I lost a LOT of weight (100 lbs) in 10 months, partially because I started working out to get more points.

    There is nothing wrong with WW. I didn't know how to STOP or adapt to real life though.... so I stopped... and gained back all but 30 lbs over 4 years.

    I feel like MFP is teaching me to eat differently. I chose foods that balance my macros better instead of just points. WW restricts calories to a low level as you get smaller, so it worked faster for me than MFP though.

    Good luck whatever your choice. Do what is right for you!
  • youcandooeet
    youcandooeet Posts: 104 Member
    Options
    There's a reason they change the plan every year. NEWER! BETTER! FASTER! STRONGERRRR! They have to keep people coming back to try it again.

    It's a good support group, but they're just selling you a product that is doing the exact same thing as what you can do on this website. If it's worth it to you to have the in person meetings, more power to you, but they're just giving you a fancy equasion that does the same thing: counts calories.
  • Need2bfit918
    Need2bfit918 Posts: 133 Member
    Options
    Weight Watchers IS a low-cal diet, it just shows you "points" instead of calories. MFP and weight watchers are practically the same thing. There are some minor differences but it's the exact same concept. Some people have more success with one than the other. I like the idea of MFP better because you can learn about actual calories in food rather than just learning about the "points" they are associated with, which mean nothing in the real world.
    exactly! in fact its an extremely low calorie diet.
  • Juliane_
    Juliane_ Posts: 373 Member
    Options
    It depends on your mindset.

    I will say that PointsPlus does not work for me. However, Weight Watchers old program (Momentum) works wonderfully for me so I do that on my own using a phone app for android phones called WWDiary. It is customizable so you are able to track Momentum points if you want.

    I prefer to use points to plan my meals. It seems to help me distrubute my foods better throughout the day. I can't think in terms of calories to ballpark how much is too much food in one sitting. With points I know a good breakfast is anywhere betwee 3-4 points; lunch is between 5-6 pts; and dinner is the remainder with snacks being no more than 2 pts. But that's just how I handle it.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Options
    Actually calories are not calculated into WW points.

    Did they change the formula for points? It used to be (calories/50) + (fat/4) - (fiber/5) = points (but they didn't allow more than 4 grams of fiber to count).

    Anyway, WW or MFP whichever works for you. I did WW a while ago because a friend of mine wanted to try it and she didn't want to go alone. The program is simple, not overly complex, but the concept is the same as MFP, you eat it you track it. I lost and got my lifetime membership and kept it off until I started strength training and then I started gaining weight, but in a good way. But I stayed in the group and kept weighing in even after I made lifetime (it's free once you hit lifetime, so I saw no reason to quit). I loved the support of the people, and there were constantly new ideas from the group leader as well as from other members and for me it was a life change, I did not want to quit. But with the strength training it was a hassle - they essentially required a doctors note, so I just quit weighing in. My friend who joined with me gave up before I ever made lifetime, I guess about a year into it, because she felt she could do it on her own. She was making excellent progress, but she didn't stick with it after she stopped going to the meetings. It was really sad to watch her gain it all back and then some but she absolutely wouldn't consider spending the money to go back. It depends on you and your personality. If you are very driven and disciplined, then you will probably do as well with MFP as you could do with WW. If you want the support of other people, the accountability of getting on that scale and having someone write ON PAPER what your weight is every week, then you will do better with WW. (They give you a gold star if you lose weight too, or used to) That's what you are really paying for with WW, the people, the support, the cheerleading, and the written weekly weigh-in. The food plan is not that different from any other portion/calorie control system.
  • Momma_Grizz
    Momma_Grizz Posts: 294 Member
    Options
    I was a WW member - they started me on my journey to health - I achieved my goal, became a lifetime member, worked for them for almost 2 years. But their new plan (at that time) didn't work for me; I actually gained :( So the new plan worked for some and not for others. It's been well over a year since I attended a meeting so I'm not sure if they have changed it again.

    I was a paying member of WW for 14 months and lost 116 pounds on their Flex/Momentum plans. I later summed up the weekly fees I paid to calculate how much I paid per pound - it was a bit astonishing; but it was something that I needed at that point in my life. I was 296 pounds, very unhealthy and lost.

    Now the only thing I miss about WW are the weekly meetings and the feel of community; but with supportive friends on MFP it's almost the same (just without the face to face). With MFP, not having someone to weigh me every week taught me to be accountable only to myself and not to the person(s) weighing me.

    That being said, I'm glad I found MFP for my 'second tour of duty'. With WW, everything had to be calculated into points and because of that I found that I wasn't learning many details about healthy nutrition - I was only focused on the points. With MFP I'm learning so much more and it's free! And even better, there is no converting calories/fat/fibre into points - there is no fumbling with a WW calculator or their food index guides in the grocery stores or restaurants.

    I'm losing with MFP, learning more about healthy nutrition and get to leave my money in my pocket. Same results, same rules, honesty, accountability and common sense - one day, one choice, one step at a time.
  • alsunrise
    alsunrise Posts: 386 Member
    Options
    Actually calories are not calculated into WW points.

    Did they change the formula for points? It used to be (calories/50) + (fat/4) - (fiber/5) = points (but they didn't allow more than 4 grams of fiber to count).

    The point system is actually based on fat, protein, carbs, and fiber now. I didn't like it, but I'm a carb person. lol and on the new system the carbs were costly.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Options
    I've always wondered about those pre-packaged food diets. I would think that learning to eat a low cal diet would be more effective in the long run because you have learned to eat healthy and can maintain the weight loss. So in the long run....Low Cal diet.

    WW is not a prepackaged food diet.

    You can buy the frozen meals, but I did it for a year and never did. And I lost weight just fine.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    Options
    Weight Watchers IS a low-cal diet, it just shows you "points" instead of calories. MFP and weight watchers are practically the same thing. There are some minor differences but it's the exact same concept. Some people have more success with one than the other. I like the idea of MFP better because you can learn about actual calories in food rather than just learning about the "points" they are associated with, which mean nothing in the real world.

    Took the words right out of my mouth! So in essence, low cal diet is better IMO. You learn what to do instead of being told what to do.
  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
    Options
    I've done WW. Like other posters, I lost a significant amount of weight and have since gained it all back and then some. WW and MFP are very similar. In my opinion, there are 2 key differences:

    1. MFP is FREE. You don't have to pay each week or for the weeks you miss. This is how I got in trouble on WW. I always wanted to wait until they had a free enrollment to catch up.

    2. WW is focused on points. Many of us would focus on keeping points low and not on nutrition. Because of the formula for calculating points I often chose packaged food. I don't know if WW now has a computerized food database but this is a huge benefit of MFP. Here you eat what you like and track it. With WW, we were always running out to buy that new find that would magically keep us under our point limits. I admit that I don't know if/how the program has changed in the last 7-8 years. I feel that MFP is more straight forward and easier to maintain.
  • Bighiker2
    Bighiker2 Posts: 100
    Options
    Tried WW many times and didn't have any consistent results, although it does work for many people. I quit for good WW in July at my highest weight ever, 143.5 lb (I actually gained 6 lbs while on WW....). Shortly thereafter, I found out about MFP and began a 1200 daily calories regime on 7/16. Today's weigh in was 133 lb, -10.5 lb! So, my two cents based on my personal experience is go with MFP and forget about WW.

    Best of everything to you! =)
  • JenLosesIt
    JenLosesIt Posts: 50 Member
    Options
    I love WWDiary for Android!! And hello its free too! I LOVE the support on here but I agree its easier for me to plan my day out of points then thousands of calories. Smaller numbers are easier for me to keep track of....just me though. If anyone is doing Momentum still (old WW) please feel free to add me!!!:smokin:

Categories